1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a deposit lock for coupling together shopping or baggage carts, or the like, having a housing which can be attached to the shopping cart, which on one side has an insertion opening for a coupling member and on the other side an insertion opening for a coin and/or a card, and which has in an interior a holding device for fixing the coupling member in place and a receiving device for secure locking of the inserted coin or card, as well as a release mechanism, which releases the coupling member when the coin or card is inserted, and releases the coin or the card, when the coupling member is pushed in the receiving device.
2. Description of Prior Art
A deposit lock of this type is taught by European Patent Reference EP 0 572 879 A2. In this known deposit lock a control element is moved during insertion of the card or coin, which moves a locking bolt from a blocking into an unblocked position. The locking bolt is rotatable and is connected via a crank gear with the control element in the form of a slide or a carriage.
According to this invention, it is one object to make available a deposit lock of the type mentioned above, having a different design, which assures the dependable securing of the coupling member, or respectively of the inserted coin or card.
This object is attained with the steps recited in the specification and in the claims. In accordance with this invention, the releasing mechanism has a rocker with a pivot shaft, which is oriented transversely with respect to the insertion direction of the coupling member, or respectively the coin or card, and parallel with respect to a plane of the coin or card. By introducing the coin or card the rocker can be pivoted in the one direction, wherein the holding device releases the coupling member, and can be pivoted in the other direction by inserting the coupling member, wherein the receiving device releases the coin, or respectively card.
A dependable operation of the locking mechanisms with a central element in the form of the rocker is achieved with a release mechanism designed in this way. At the same time it is possible to operate further control elements for refining the functional process and of the locking mechanisms.
If the holding device is designed as a catch hook arranged on the rocker on the side of the pivot shaft facing the coupling member which, with no coin or card inserted, engages an arresting section of the coupling member from above or below or from the side, wherein the rocker is maintained in the assigned pivot position by a spring force, the holding device for the coupling element is simply designed, wherein a dependable function is assured.
In the uncoupled state, in the position securely enclosing the coin or the card, the rocker is dependably maintained because while inserting the coin or the card a bolt is moved in the insertion direction, which itself has an arresting piece, or which operates one, which in the inserted state of the coin or the card comes into operative contact with a counter-piece of the rocker and supports the rocker against the pivot direction caused by the spring force in such a way that the coupling member is released. Only a simply designed and operable bolt is needed for this purpose. In this connection, advantageously, the slide supports the rocker on a side of the rocker facing the insertion opening of the coin, or respectively card, with respect to the pivot shaft, and the slide has a section projecting to the other side, facing the coupling member with respect to the pivot shaft, whose front area comes into connection with the coupling member. Thus the rocker is securely maintained in the uncoupling position. For re-coupling, it is only necessary to slightly push the bolt with the coupling member back, whereafter the holding device of the coupling member snaps closed and the coupling member is securely held.
The coupling member is dependably released when the coin or card is inserted, and is dependably fixed in position when the coupling member is inserted. In the fixed-in-place state of the coupling member, the slide is seated under spring prestress supported on the rocker in such a way that, when the coin or card is inserted and the rocker is pivoted, it is released from the support and is driven in the direction toward the coupling member and moves the latter at least partially out of the housing after release by the holding device. When the coupling member is inserted, the slide is pushed back against the spring force and releases the rocker for pivoting in accordance with its spring prestress.
If blocking elements, which are matched to the coupling member, are provided in the insertion opening of the coupling member, by means of which the push-back of the slide by other means is prevented, the rocker is secure against unauthorized release, for example with a flat object, so that the coin or card cannot be easily removed without authorization. Therefore the coupling member has the function of a real key.
The design of the deposit lock in a manner that, for pivoting the rocker by means of the coin or card, a carriage with at least one detent for the card and at least one actuation shoulder for the coin is provided. The rocker has at least one sloped inlet acting counter to the displacement direction of the displacement element, which cooperates with matched counter-slopes of the carriage in such a way that while displacing the carriage in the insertion direction of the coin or card the rocker is pivoted against the spring force, resulting in a simple operation and dependable function with few parts.
In this case it is also advantageous for a simple design if the detents for the card are arranged on the side of the carriage, which faces away from the rocker, on its front area in the insertion direction of the coin or card, and the actuation shoulders for the coin are arranged on the side of the carriage, which faces the rocker, in its rear area. The card slot and the coin slot are preferably arranged on the sides of the carriage corresponding to the detents, or respectively the actuation shoulders.
The unauthorized release of the coupling member and uncoupling of carts is made more difficult because the housing has at least one bolt blocking the carriage against displacement. When the card or coin is inserted into the housing, the bolts are brought into a position in which the carriage is released for displacement. The bolts can be easily moved by inserting the card or coin if provided. The bolts are seated pivotable around axes which are vertical with respect to the insertion plane of the card, or respectively coin, and are pushed inward by means of a spring force in such a way that the carriage is blocked by bolt pins provided on the bolts. The bolts have shoulder pieces and shoulder elements, by which they can be pivoted outward against the spring effect by the card, or respectively the coin, when they are inserted, so that the bolt pins release the carriage for displacement.
The housing of the actuating elements and therefore the simple design of the deposit lock is preferred with the rocker having two front legs, or respectively rear legs, in front of and behind the pivot shaft in the insertion direction of the coin, or respectively card. The holding pieces for enclosing the card and holding elements for enclosing the coin are attached in the receiving device in the area of the rear legs which is in the back in the insertion direction, vertically with respect to the plane of the coin, or respectively card, protruding away in the direction toward the coin, or respectively the card, wherein the inserted coin, or respectively card, is gripped from the rear at its rear edge when the coupling member is removed and the rocker is pivoted against the spring force.
Regarding the structure and production of the deposit lock, it is advantageous when the carriage is snapped into guides on the insides of the lateral housing walls, and the pivot shaft is snapped in bearings of the lateral housing walls.